Today we’d like to introduce you to Allison Moran.
Allison, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
In the fall of 2017, my now-husband found a lump in my right breast. I went to a general doctor, and then to a breast surgeon in Boulder for an ultrasound. The surgeon made it sound like I had nothing to worry about and told me to return for a checkup in six months. Well, I went back in three and said, get this out of me. He took it out, told me that everything looked fine, and then I got a call a week later that I had cancer at 27 years old. I mention this because it is a VERY common story for young women. Most of the young women I meet were told that they are too young to get cancer. It’s unfortunate because our best cure to cancer right now is early detection.
Being the transplant that I am, I moved to Denver for the mountains. I am a rock climber. One of my first thoughts after my diagnosis was how can I keep climbing? My love of climbing and the outdoors gave me focus as I fought cancer with horrible treatments, including chemo, radiation, and surgery. Chemo was first and on day one, I drew a little template on every page of my journal. I was determined to climb through chemo. In the journal, I tracked my medication, water intake, workouts, and general health.
Here are some excerpts: On April 16th, I wrote “Not my best day. Feeling pretty sick.” I went on two walks and drank four liters of water. On April 17th, I went to the gym and climbed up to 11.d. I wrote “Can tell that my blood counts are down. Got out of breath on climbs.” On April 23rd, “Feel great! Hair falling out!!!” I went to an aerial silks class.
By using my tracker each day, I was able to find patterns in the chemo cycles. This gave me hope during the tough times and enabled me to live it up during the good times. On August 5th after enduring eight rounds of chemo, I set a personal record as a rock climber! I hit my hardest onsight, a 12- at Lime Creek, a crag near Edwards, CO. Yep, I cried. During chemo, I also got married, graduated with a master’s in engineering, moved apartments, and went on a road trip. I know that this makes it sound like chemo was a breeze; truly I could not have accomplished so much during those difficult months without the help of my journal. On May 23rd, I wrote “I’m sick. Sore throat, runny now, feel AWFUL.” No exercise. Now, I make journals for other women that want to live a full life during chemo. The journal includes an updated template and quotes selected by other cancer warriors. The response has been incredibly rewarding.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Starting the business felt like a road with a bunch of speed bumps. I knew the direction that I was heading, but I had a lot to learn. For example, I used Adobe Illustrator to design the journal. I had no idea how to use Illustrator! I pretty much Googled a new question every step. Google how do I draw a circle? Okay now how do I color the circle? It was slow going, but I enjoy learning new things.
Once I had the design down, I had to figure out how to print the thing. That took me into a deep hole on the internet. I emerged with a company that would print my first 50 copies for a reasonable price. My advice to women that are just starting their journey is to just START. It is highly unlikely that you will do everything perfectly the first time. Usually, the best way to learn is to just start moving. Failure is often downplayed essential to finding success.
what should we know about DynoSoar Life? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
There are several other journal products for cancer warriors. Many of them include pages for medical contacts, prescriptions, calendars, to do list, etc. For me, all of those pages seemed like too much to handle. What sets My Dynosoar Journals apart are that they keep the focus on life. The template is quick to fill out and it targets the data that will help the user find their cadence during chemo. Cancer is already so overwhelming, it is nice to have a consistent routine that puts some control back in your hands.
My goal is to help as many cancer warriors as possible. This is why I also offer a Pay It Forward option. With this option people can purchase a journal for an anonymous warrior. I drop these journals off at hospitals, nonprofits, and events. I always carry a journal with me, and you’d be amazed how many times I have met someone that could use a journal for a loved one. When I am able to place a journal in a warrior’s hands, I love seeing how special they feel when they find out that an anonymous buyer bought a journal for them and cares about their well-being.
For good reason, society often focuses more on the problems rather than the opportunities that exist, because the problems need to be solved. However, we’d probably also benefit from looking for and recognizing the opportunities that women are better positioned to capitalize on. Have you discovered such opportunities?
Especially in the field of breast cancer women are best positioned to raise up women. There are so many businesses and nonprofits that female cancer warriors are building. Another great one that was founded in Denver is Polite Tumor. Elissa is a badass and mentored me through treatment. Body En Route, founded in Boulder, helps women recover range of motion and strength after a mastectomy. In the mainstream media breast cancer is often depicted at pink and sometimes even sexual. Women that have experienced cancer are best positioned to design products and businesses that truly help cancer patients or even better find a cure.
Pricing:
- $20 My Chemo Journal + Shipping
- $20 Pay It Forward Journal + FREE shipping
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mydynosoarjournal.com/shop
- Email: dynosoarlife@gmail.com
- Instagram: @dynosoarlife @mydynosoarjournal
Suggest a story: VoyageDenver is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
